#iwill week – ‘It’s just trying to change what you can’

Rowan Jones became an #iwill ambassador from a position of just wanting to “try to prevent even one person from going through what I did”.

This week is #iwill week, an annual celebration of the work young people, ambassadors, champions, and partners are leading up and down the UK.

The #iwill movement, supported by UK Youth, believes young people should be supported and empowered to make a positive difference on the issues that affect their lives, their communities, and broader society.

Each year, it recruits 50 “remarkable 10-25 year-olds from all backgrounds with one thing in common, a passion that drives them to help others” as ambassadors – remarkable young people like Rowan.

“I’m a disability activist,” says Rowan, from Northamptonshire. “That came about because I missed secondary school, because I didn’t have the provision in my area that would give me access to school. I’m autistic, but I wasn’t diagnosed until I was 15 and there was a real lack of understanding in my schools of the fact that I was actually struggling and did need adjustments made.

“There was a lack of understanding around that and about anxiety and phobias surrounding school, because the environment wasn’t right.

“I think the autism diagnosis saved my life. It’s been so invaluable, just having that understanding and the language as well – when you haven’t had a way to explain how you’re feeling and who you are your whole life, and you get them, it’s invaluable, being able to say ’I can’t do this because of my sensory issues’ or ‘oh, I can feel like a shutdown coming on’ or ‘I’m over stimulated’, things like that.

“With that experience, I joined a local autism advocacy group and then I joined the Department for Education’s special educational needs and disabilities advisory board and then I just kept signing up for things – such as #iwlll.

“I bring my experience to it and I bring as many people’s experiences as I can, just from talking to people and being in that space in those communities, because they are communities that policy-makers and politicians aren’t in and they don’t see the real effects as it’s happening. And then it’s just trying to change what you can.

“I think a lot of it for me is trying to prevent even one person from going through what I did. A bad year in education for the government is just a bad year, they can just change the policy. However, for a young person, that’s their one shot at education. That’s their one shot at a good start in life, and people shouldn’t have to be doing well in spite of their education. It should be a foundation for them and not something that they have to overcome.”

Rowan, aged 18, is also full of praise for the youth work advocated for by UK Youth – so much so they are the face and voice of UK Youth’s donations partnership with Burger King UK and Pennies.

Rowan said: “The autism charity that I’m involved with now runs a youth group that I go to every two weeks and that’s been invaluable. It’s just having a space where people understand, that no-one’s judging you.”

For the Burger King partnership, as well as recording a message to be played in the fast-food giant’s restaurants encouraging customers to donate at the paykiosks, Rowan’s words and picture also appear on cards on tables within the restaurants.

“I saw the opportunity and went for it – you might as well,” they said. “I went to Chesterfield to record 30 seconds of a voiceover to be played in Burger King restaurants, to try to encourage people to donate to UK Youth when they check out.”

Aside from her advocacy, Rowan is now at college, studying for A-levels.

“I went into college at 16, because I didn’t have any GCSEs. So I did a year to get my GCSEs and luckily the college accepted me onto their A-level programme, so I’m now doing my A-levels in English language, English literature and law.”
Rowan now hopes to go on to study for a degree in linguistics – and has just been accepted onto a Cambridge University academic attainment programme.

It is a source of pride when they look back at where they were four years ago, missing out on formal education.

“It’s easy to forget where you started, when it gets to this point and it’s just ‘oh my God, I’ve got so much to do’, but thinking about it, especially when you lose out on education like I did, you realise how valuable it is.

“I definitely put more work into my college now, because I worked really hard to be here and there’s no point doing all that and then just letting it go to waste.”

UK Youth is a leading charity with a vision that all young people are equipped to thrive and empowered to contribute at every stage of their lives. With an open network of more than 9,000 youth organisations and nation partners; UK Youth reaches more than four million young people across the UK and is focused on unlocking youth work as the catalyst of change that is needed now more than ever. To find out more, visit ukyouth.org

UK Youth is involved in a range of programmes designed to help young people thrive, such as outdoor learning, physical literacy, social action and employability. For more on UK Youth’s programmes, see ukyouth.org/what-we-do/programmes

#iwill is a movement comprised of more than 1,000 organisations and 700 young #iwill ambassadors and champions from across the UK. They are united by a shared belief that all children and young people should be supported and empowered to make a positive difference on the issues that affect their lives, their communities, and broader society.

#iwill is empowering, challenging, independent, collaborative and inclusive – it belongs to everybody.

The #iwill movement is powered by young people and organisations. The #iwill Ambassadors and #iwill Champions, alongside organisations who sign up to the Power of Youth Charter, help ensure meaningful action is taken to support more children and young people to be active citizens.

The #iwill Partnership is made up of leaders of collective action groups working within and across sectors and nations of the UK to guide the #iwill movement. The independent #iwill Coordination Hub, hosted by Volunteering Matters and UK Youth supports the #iwill Partnership, #iwill Ambassadors and broader #iwill movement.